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Who regulates Uber in Munich?

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Old Feb 28, 2017, 3:13 pm
  #1  
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Who regulates Uber in Munich?

I am having a dispute with Uber over a substantial overcharge in Munich, and am not making any progress with them. Is there a regulator there with whom I can file a complaint?
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Old Feb 28, 2017, 5:19 pm
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There is no "regulator" for a company in Germany, let alone a private owned one. Services are regulated.
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Old Feb 28, 2017, 6:03 pm
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Yeah, if you have a dispute with a company about charges, and it's really worth it to you, the typical next step is to lawyer up..
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Old Mar 1, 2017, 4:54 pm
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Thank you. I thought there had been a considerable to-do over getting Uber licensed to operate in Munich, so assumed that there was a regulator. Is there a consumer protection office there?
I have of course challenged the charge with my credit card company, but I am so outraged over their attitude that I want to complain to someone in authority!
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 8:08 am
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AFAIK uberPop is not available in Munich or generally in Germany as it is seen as a taxi service which in this case would be regulated by the city of munich. So you probably used the more expensive "limo-service" of uber with a luxury car and this kind of service is not regulated in Germany. We have a privately organized "Verbraucherzentrale" which is locally available in Munich with an office. You can get counselling there for a fee and they might be willing to take legal action against uber if there is some kind of an ongoing illegal scheme against customers. They won't take action in something that is a single incident.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 3:00 am
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...and, not to be the pessimist, but I don't think you're going to get far with the Verbraucherzentrale unless there is a lot of meat on the bone to chew on, if you see what I mean.

Uber doesn't really exist in Germany the way it is sometimes assumed to. Stick with myTaxi.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 6:57 am
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How much is the overcharge and what's the reason for it
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 9:28 am
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Is this common in Europe? I have trip coming up later this month and will not use Uber in Germany or Netherlands if this is commonplace.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 9:35 am
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Originally Posted by travelin_lite
Is this common in Europe? I have trip coming up later this month and will not use Uber in Germany or Netherlands if this is commonplace.
I don't know about NL, but Uber does not exist in Germany. Where the app works you just get a regular taxi. The UberX service gets you a private limo service which, like in most places, is not greatly regulated. Get the myTaxi app for Germany. It's much better.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 10:06 am
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
I don't know about NL, but Uber does not exist in Germany. Where the app works you just get a regular taxi. The UberX service gets you a private limo service which, like in most places, is not greatly regulated. Get the myTaxi app for Germany. It's much better.
in the U.S., UberX is someone using their personal vehicle. Uber Black is the limo service. When I used Uber in Amsterdam, they didn't have X, only Black. Is UberX really a private limo service in Germany?
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 11:18 am
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Uber has uberX, uberVan and uberBlack in Munich, all of which are limo services ('Mietwagen mit Fahrer') brokered by uber (similar to MyDriver by Sixt) prices are similar, uberX is a bit below taxi rates, but they have surge pricing, so its not guaranteed. uberpop was the service where private person could offer a ride with his/her, this has been discontinued after they lost in court.

So they are not regulated per se, but just a middle man selling spare limo capacity.
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Old Mar 3, 2017, 11:19 am
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Originally Posted by FLYMSY
in the U.S., UberX is someone using their personal vehicle. Uber Black is the limo service. When I used Uber in Amsterdam, they didn't have X, only Black. Is UberX really a private limo service in Germany?
Sorry, mea culpa. I meant the Uber limo service, Black I guess.
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Old Mar 5, 2017, 5:35 am
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In general §49 of the Personenförderungsgesetz regulates "Rental cars with driver - limo service" under which all Uber services in Germany do fall. Unlike for official taxis the fare for limo services in Germany is not regulated. It is a contract between you and the limo service. So there is no official regulator when it comes to fare disputes. That's why it is always better to take an official taxi which has a taximeter and where you have additional passenger rights.
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Old Mar 5, 2017, 8:52 am
  #14  
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You are going to have a very tough time complaining to any governmental body about this.

Was the ride charged to a credit card? Can you initiate a chargeback?
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Old Mar 5, 2017, 10:30 pm
  #15  
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Complaining will be easy; finding a resolution somewhat less so. Without details, there is little more to add to this thread.
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